So season 18 – the season of “lots of big changes”, and I’m not so sure I’m liking them. Right off the bat – skeptical about Erin as a cohost. Seems like she isn’t about playing 2nd banana to Tom – felt like she was just waiting for her turn to talk, and was trying too hard to be clever and funny when asking her questions…which, by the way, were exactly what I worried they would be: pointed, uncomfortable, and at times, salacious. Not sure if it’s her asking those questions (or somebody up in the booth feeding them to her), but I’m not liking the gossipy, almost tabloid-y direction the show is taking – suddenly, we have to know who’s dating who, and what their significant others think about their partners, and who stole who’s boyfriend in the past, etc. Seemed especially evident when Erin was needling-er, interviewing Cody & Witney – didn’t really enjoy the tone of that one in particular, as it sounded to me like Erin was throwing some serious shade in Witney’s direction (“Well, I think you’re a distraction!”). Just SHUT UP, Erin – I had my fill of you channeling Regina George back in season 10. Remember: those who stir the sh*t pot should have to lick the spoon. 😉

And then there’s the “rivalries” – ugh. The three major ones that they seem to be pushing are Meryl vs. Charlie, Cody vs. James, and Candace vs. Danica. And while Conrad may have referred to them as “healthy rivalries” in his press release – I would hardly call dredging up 20-year-old drama about stolen boyfriends to be “healthy”. Are we sure the Muppets in the production office haven’t been replaced by high school girls? Because some of this stuff is seriously immature. But hey, if they’re gonna continue pushing the rivalries – guess I’ll do a weekly scorecard of them, too, since these things seem to be UBER-IMPORTANT on DWTS these days. But anyhow…shall I get on with the rankings? 🙂

1.) Charlie & Sharna – Can’t say I’m too surprised here, as we had heard that Charlie’s routine was “REALLY good!” and we all kind of expected both he & Meryl to easily handle their routines. Was pleasantly surprised at how well he handled the (pretty short) section of side-by-side contemporary choreography – he seems to really get the “pulse” of contemporary, and knows how to use his limbs properly. He’s obviously SPECTACULAR doing lifts, and he handled the many ones Sharna threw at him without so much as a bobble…but that’s probably my one big critique of this routine: it was very, VERY lift-heavy. Seemed like most of the routine was either prepping for a lift or doing the lift, as opposed to doing any separate steps. Contemporary does NOT mean “do all sorts of lifts!” I would caution Sharna not to get tempted to throw every lift she knows into any routine in which it’s allowed, simply because her partner is quite possibly even a better lifter than Tony. Beyond that, I really enjoyed it, and I’m excited to see what else this partnership can do.

2.) Meryl & Maks – I think I would have Charlie & Meryl neck-and-neck if Meryl had gotten contemporary or foxtrot this week – while she handled the cha-cha well, it just doesn’t seem to be a dance that suits her personality perfectly. She seems calm, graceful, and focused – and the cha-cha does require a certain degree of sass and abandon to carry off well. Technically, it was still quite good – she can handle the fast transitions that Maks throws in, she turns well (although it looked like she might have gotten a bit tilted on one of the turn sequences), and she “gives good face” – she knows how the right faces to pull when she’s dancing. She seems to mesh well with Maks, too – I wouldn’t call their chemistry a “romantic” one, but rather one of mutual respect: she respects him as a teacher, and he respects her skills as a student. Seems more like a meeting of the minds than a meeting of the hearts. Totally underscored – Meryl knocks this dance outta the park, and somehow gets the same score as Danica, who really fumbled? *sniff* What’s that smell? Something’s rotten in the state of the ballroom…and I hope it’s not an ongoing theme this season. I think Meryl may really wow us in the ballroom round – just the air of elegance and grace she has to her (and that nice, long neck) could make for some gorgeous waltzes.

3.) Amy & Derek – For someone that had limited rehearsal time, Amy did well. For someone who had limited rehearsal time AND jet lag, Amy did great. For someone that had limited rehearsal time, jet lag, AND two prosthetic limbs, Amy did FANTASTIC. I was seriously worried that she would be rather limited in how many cha cha figures she would be able to do (just due to the limitations of her prostheses), but I found myself thinking “Man, she moves better than someone of the gals we’ve had on the show that were completely able-bodied!” If there were any limitations in her movements, Derek must have done a great job of masking them, because at times I forgot she even had prostheses on – and I think that’s Amy’s ultimate goal, anyway: to not be characterized by her disability. I probably would have given her a point more, simply because I feel like her dance was overall cleaner than Danica’s (who got the same score). The only problem I can forsee with these two? Amy seems to have a hard time closing her thighs – and as the season wears on (and she has to do dances like rumba & samba), it’s something that Len will probably hone in on. Aside from that – really excited to see what we get from these two 🙂

4.) Candace & Mark – Probably the biggest surprise of the night for me – and probably my favorite routine. I guess since everyone seemed to be talking about Danica (and we were well aware that Danica had MUCH more previous ballroom experience than Candace, to who my knowledge, had none), I figured that Candace would struggle a bit more to stand out – but was pleasantly surprised to see that Candace was a natural at contemporary last night, and actually handled it better than Danica handled her foxtrot. As I mentioned on Twitter, Candace seems to be a much more “organic” mover than Danica – she doesn’t pull faces, try to overstretch her lines, or try to be a huge showman; she just does the moves the best way she knows how, and the result is very believable and pleasant to watch. Now, we’ll see if that holds true when she has to do a Latin dance – contemporary seems to be the style that allows for the most open interpretation, but she’ll need to be a lot more tight in her technique for all of the other styles. I have to tip my hat to Mark, though, for returning to the creative Mark we saw in season 8 with Shawn, as I thought the choreography on the floor was genius. This couple is turning out to be much more of a contender than I thought they would.

5.) Cody & Witney – Did anyone else get a bit of deja vu to two years ago, with Roshon & Chelsie’s week 1 cha-cha in season 14? I feel like Witney has kind of become the new Chelsie, perhaps with a bit more pizzazz – and Cody seems to have Roshon’s swagger, maybe with a bit less refinement in his moves, but it’s there. I thought they handled this cha-cha pretty well – Cody may have gotten a tad sloppy from time to time, but the showmanship is definitely there and I think he & Witney have a good chemistry. Found it interesting that they seemed to really hone in on the fact that he had a gf – and for those who don’t know, it’s Gigi Hadid, daughter of RHOBH’s Yolanda Foster and an up-and-coming model. She made the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue this year, and supposedly booked some huge campaign for Dolce & Gabbana – she’s being touted as the “next big thing” in modeling…makes me wonder if they’re already starting to court her for a future season, since she has the potential to have some big star-power in the future. But anyway – I actually like these two as a pair, and think they have some longevity this season.

6.) Drew & Cheryl – Cheryl gets my “costume of the night” award, since she was the only one that wore green on St. Patty’s Day and I loved that shimmery emerald color 🙂 It seems like fun, invested Cheryl is back again – she and Drew seemed to be having a ball out there on the floor, and Drew was handling that foxtrot impressively well. The frame wasn’t perfect and the footwork wasn’t perfect – but he got the gist of it: he had the timing, the character, and a generally good grasp of the movement. So it looks like Cheryl’s got another potential dark horse this season 🙂 My only real complaint? I feel like Cheryl’s foxtrots are all starting to look a bit similar to me – and it’s not really her fault. She’s just been on the show so many seasons that we’ve seen it all – and for whatever reason, she seems to get more traditional foxtrot music than some of the other pros (no “Boom Boom Pow” or “Easy Lover”) and so her foxtrots are usually a little more on the slinky, old-fashioned, top-hat-and-tails side. But god, I loved that green dress – and is it just me, or has Cheryl gotten pretty foxy these past two seasons? Maybe it’s just the fact that she seems happier, but her costumes seem to have improved drastically and she’s ditched a lot of the heavy extensions in favor of a more simple, flattering bob. It works 🙂

7.) Danica & Val – I’m starting to think that Danica (or “Spazzica”, as I was inclined to call her last night) may well be her own worst enemy on the show. Everything about her last night seemed wound extra tight, from the hyper-speed with which she was talking to the way she was overpunctuating every single line in her foxtrot – it just kind of set me on edge to even watch her, because her anxiety was palpable. I’m gonna try to chalk it up to first-night jitters, but I think she may have set the bar for herself extremely high and as a consequence, she may be constantly struggling to meet her own expectations…and it may read to viewers as desperate. She handled her foxtrot well enough, but she seemed to whiff a lot of the lines by just flinging her arm out – Val probably needs to work with her on developing her lines, as opposed to throwing them away; also saw her shoulders creeping up a bit. She seemed to “sell” the dance well-enough, but she also seems like she might be an excessive “face-puller”: just saw a lot of exaggerated expressions throughout the dance. From the way Val made it sound in his blog, neither of them seemed very thrilled about the foxtrot, so maybe this was just an 0ff-week for them; but I think they should be thankful that they got the score they did, considering that I thought both of the other couples that got a 24 (Meryl & Maks and Amy & Derek) did quite a bit better than they did, and even a couple lower-scoring couples (James & Peta and Cody & Witney) outdanced them.

8.) James & Peta – First off, I gotta say: kind of a d*ck move on the part of TPTB, blindsiding Peta by giving her James as a partner without any advanced warning. Peta may not be my favorite pro, but I felt sorry for her as she seemed pretty embarassed by how the whole thing went down – and they seemed to intentionally try and make it as awkward as humanly possible for both Peta & James. No likey. I was actually pretty impressed by how well James handled himself out on the floor – he had a very nice frame and stayed on-time very well, despite some rather jarring tempo changes and complex patterns Peta threw at him. He could probably stand to work on rise & fall (he seemed a bit stilted), and just learn to relax a bit more out on the floor and focus a bit more on showmanship. I think Cody may have him beat in that department, but James seems like he might be the better technician.

9.) NeNe & Tony – I was extremely surprised by how well NeNe did with her cha-cha – but then again, the bar was set very low for her in my mind, so as long as she didn’t pull a Wendy Williams and barely move, I think I would have been pleasantly surprised 😛 She certainly doesn’t seem to struggle with showmanship – she definitely does have “soul” and can sell the character of the dance. I have to give a bit of a “tsk, tsk” to Tony, though, as this dance was probably 2/3 hip-hop and only 1/3 actual cha-cha – so I’m not sure we really got an accurate representation of how well NeNe is actually going to handle Latin. The little cha-cha she did do, though, seemed ok – it maybe lacked a bit of refinement, but it wasn’t the worst we’ve seen and she’s got room to grow. I’m curious to see how well she handles the ballroom dances – she seems to take very big steps (which is a unique problem, considering that many of Tony’s partners seem to be small movers), so I could see her potentially struggling to tighten-up her footwork. Kind of loved seeing NeNe genuinely humbled while getting praise from the judges – and I love that she has already done better than all of Wendy Williams’ dances combined. Kinda hoping NeNe rubs it in her face a bit, considering Wendy was already throwing shade at her the day after the cast announcement 😉

10.) Sean & Karina – I know I can’t be the only one that half-expects Sean to break out a “Hello, Clarice” at some point this season – dude’s voice gives me the creeps sometimes, as does his intense, icy demeanor. I really want to like the guy, because I like Karina – but he’s one hard shell to crack. Lots of walls up, and I think he should thank his lucky stars he has Karina because she seems like the only person that might be able to endear him to viewers. I get the feeling that he is really trying – there were actually some very nice moments in his contemporary last night – but if he could just smile and relax a bit more, I think he’d be much better-received by both the judges and viewers, even if his technique didn’t necessarily improve. I’m a tad worried that, aside from contemporary and maybe paso doble & tango, there aren’t going to be that many dances this season that really suit his intensity well – so hopefully he can find some playful side to bring out.

11.) Billy Dee & Emma – Yes, it was the weakest dance of the night – no arguments here. But seriously, judges – the dude is 77 years old, and you don’t need to be an asshat when critiquing him (looking at YOU, Carrie Ann). I actually appreciated that Len was able to say something semi-positive about his attempt – I guess that is one aspect in which I’m thankful for Len: he’s the most likely to sympathize with older contestants. I thought Emma worked the best she could with what she was given – she still did a lot of cha cha choreography, but kept it simple enough that Billy could actually (sort of) keep up, and went with a really fun, really fitting theme. At least if Billy gets sent home next week, we can say that we did get to see a Star Wars dance out of him 🙂 I’m inclined to think that he just MIGHT have the fanbase to help him overtake at least Diana to stick around next week, but I doubt he’s got the clout to last longer than that…but I still love he & Emma, nonetheless 🙂

12.) Diana & Henry – As pleasant and drama-free as this pairing is, and how admirably Diana handled her foxtrot – I worry that they may just get lost in the shuffle when it comes time to vote. While Olympians like Charlie & Sharna have a massive followings of their own, and Amy has a powerhouse like Derek to help carry her through – I feel like Diana’s name is just not quite as well known, and since it’s Henry’s first season as a pro, his fanbase is untested. It’s not that they’re unpopular – it’s just that they’re not terribly well-known…yet 🙂 I actually thought Diana stayed on-time quite nicely in her foxtrot and struck some very pretty poses – it was a tad cautious and maybe a little elementary, but it was pleasant to watch nonetheless and she does have a certain grace in her presence. I hope I’m wrong – because I think this season, a calm, drama-free couple is going to be a welcome respite from the drama I sense brewing; however, I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up in the bottom 2 next week…if they’re doing one. Lord knows how everything is going to work this season 😛

The “Rivalry Scorecard” for the week:

Charlie vs. Meryl – Charlie wins this round, for just getting into the character of his dance a bit better.

James vs. Cody – Cody, for being a better showman.

Danica vs. Candace – Candace, for coming across as more natural and comfortable.

So what did you guys think of this week? Are you liking or disliking the changes? And who are your favorites so far?

51 responses to "PureDWTS Season 18, Week 1 – Power Rankings"

Charlie actually surprised me (not his dancing because I knew he would be great) but just his personality. I never really knew much about him other than on the ice and he seems like a cool and down-to-earth persona and I am loving his partnership with Sharna because they look like they’re going to be fun to watch.

I was really surprised with Candace, I just hope she doesn’t push her religion on every single package. Even though there’s nothing wrong with faith, I just don’t personally wouldn’t like hearing about it every week and would be a turn-off for me.

Amy was amazing! I was smiling during her entire routine. I am loving the partnership between her and Derek and I hope we see more from her even though, like Courtney said, some dances may be a challenge to her more than others.

I am still not sure about Erin. I mean I think she’s more engaging than Brooke but I don’t like her “reporter” voice and I don’t like how the producers wanted her to push the relationship questions.

Also, did anyone think that some of the dances next week weren’t necessarily ones that the celebs actually wanted to do? I know from an interview with Sean, he wanted to do the Waltz, not the salsa as well as Candace seemed a little surprised with the rumba. Typical producers though.

My favorite pair? Amy and Derek. I can’t wait to see them dance next week.

I think Meryl was way better then Danica, but I didn’t really like her cha-cha. She seems a little too elegant for cha-cha to me, especially her arms. Well, I think that her elegance will help her a lot at Waltz, for example. And Maks was removing her hair out of his mounth during the dance… I mean, really? So unprofessional.

1. Charlie and Sharna – What can I say. They were breathtaking! Definitely “poetry in motion” just like Carrie Ann said. Just perfect. 27

2. Meryl and Maks – wow is all I will say. I loved her passion, her energy, and her sass. She was breathtaking and magical just like when she skates. I liked her and Maks’ chemistry. So far, she’s bringing out the best of him. 26

3. Amy and Derek – Wow, wow wow. So angelic right from the get go. Her feet flew and I especially loved that bending move in the middle. 😯 Way hot and she is so beautiful. I want MORE! 25

4. Sean and Karina – Wow, I loved them. I loved his seriousness and his power and strength in every move and lift. They completely left me wanting more. I hope Karina keeps capitalizing on that James Bond/Terminator mystery feel of him. 24

5. Danica and Val – Danica had so much energy and personality. Her feet were a little slow a few times trying to keep up, but, for the most part, it’s like she’s been dancing all of her life. Oh wait. 😀 24

6. Mark and Candace – She radiated out there and I loved her smile. You can tell she’s loving every inch of being on this show. What a great dance too full of such creative moves on the floor. 24

7. Cody and Witney – Cody reminded me of James Dean. His dance said “cool” all over it. They had such creative moves right from the start. His legs were a little mechanical in places and I think he was fighting some nerves, but, for the most part, they were magnetic out there. 23

8. James and Peta – Hey hey, I loved these two. It might have been a little out of control in places, but, I loved the romance and the passion. Like NeNe, he also did much better than I thought he would. They could be contenders in this if he keeps working hard and making his moves sharper. 21

9. Drew and Cheryl – Carrie Ann was right. Drew is going to be the one to make us “smile” this season. I loved him. He was funny, charming, and I loved the way he carried himself. 21

10. Nene and Tony – Great opener. I liked how she brought the sexy, the entertainment, the big personality, and had a lot of fun out there. She was wooden in some areas, but, she got the party started like Bruno said. She was much better than I thought she would be. I also liked her better than Tony. Ha!! 21

11. Diana and Henry – what a breath of fresh air! Yes, her feet needed improvement, but, I loved her smile through out, her positive attitude, and humor. She and Henry look so good together. I vote them the most ‘dashing’ of the night. 19

12. Billy Dee and Emma – Awww, I loved this guy and Emma. I loved his smile and spirit. Unfortunately, his feet were really sluggish and slow which is normal at his age. I’m worried they could be the most in trouble. 16

Courtney, Do you think Amy’s “problem” of not closing her thighs has to do with the release button on her prosthetics? On GMA, she had duct tape on the buttons because of the steps in the Cha Cha. They were afraid tapping her ankles together would trigger the release button. It could also be a habit from snowboarding because of feet postioning on the board.
As for Charlie, those were mostly his lifts with Meryl from their Olympic programs. (The leg hooking around the neck; and Sharna going over his back and kneeling on his leg) I also thought is was lift-heavy, as were Sean and Karina’s (BTW love the “Hello Clarice”). Really loved Candace and Mark’s contemporary.
Thanks for always bringing the humor here and on twitter!
Also, say Hi to Mama S. Will she also be providing humorous quotes this season on twitter? Love her perspective!

My favorites were Charlie, Amy, and Candace. Meryl was good, but I just can’t get on board with supporting either of the C bros and their extended family.

I was impressed by Cody in that I was expecting to find the celebs with the younger fan bases to be rather annoying. However, I quite enjoyed his performance with Witney. They’re a good pairing. Witney already has way more charisma on the dance floor than Lindsay (nothing against Lindsay, of course).

@Linz – I haven’t had a chance to watch the clip myself, but I think it’s possible – especially if the buttons are located on the inner edge of the prosthetic. Maybe that’s something that’s going to be addressed when they make her a pair of “dance legs”.

I love it that we’re getting to see the lighter side of Maks with Meryl. I think this could be a very good partnership for him. I thought Charlie, Meryl, Candace, and Amy were the best of the night, and this is coming from somebody who is not a Derek fan. I enjoyed Drew. He’s so much fun! Danica was also good, but I agree that she seems a bit spazzy. Once she calms down, she’ll be great. James, Cody, and NeNe were all right. A for effort for Billy Dee and Diana.

But my main concern is with Sean. If he doesn’t open up and smile and act like he’s happy to be there, he will be eliminated early. He has the ability, but you gotta be able to sell it. That’s why I enjoyed Drew more than Sean. Is Sean better than Drew? Yeah, but Drew can sell it.

I wondered the same thing as Linz about Amy’s “thigh closing” issue. Yes, the release buttons *are* on the inside of the calves. So they’re going to have to work on some type of solution.

Am I being too optimistic to hope that TPTB will let Amy be just another celeb competing for the MBT? The audience now knows her back story and has learned about her prostheses, Len has given the required speech about scoring her like all the other celebs, and the judges told her how inspiring she is. Now let’s move on to evaluating her as a dancer.

I also hope Candace doesn’t bring up her religion every week and Shirley Ballas tells Mark his new hair style is ridiculous and throws away his hair gel.

Thank you Candace for your honest and unrestrained reaction to the announcement that you wanted to dance Rumba. It was delicious to see a celeb poke holes in the fabric of lies the show is so good at weaving. I wish more celebs would do it.

Thank you Court for describing the tone of the show as “tabloid-y”. that exactly fits what I was feeling while watching the premiere (but couldn’t quite put into words). I guess this is the old white guys’ idea of how to make DWTS more accessible to a younger audience. *sigh*

I really hope Diana manages to muster enough fan support to stick around for another week or two because she’s just enjoying the experience so much.

1. Charlie and Sharna–he did wonderfully although a little lift-heavy in the routine

2. Amy and Derek-this was just terrific and I thought was underscored by the judges. If Candace deserved a 9, then so did Amy IMHO. How can Len judge her the same when she’s not the same because she has no legs below her knees? I know she wants that but, I just don’t get it. In a jive, she won’t be able to point her toes as she has none.

3. Meryl and Maks–I’m not a huge Maks fan since his season with Hope Solo. Well buddy, you got a great partner, Step up your choreography and make her SHINE! Meryl did a great Cha Cha and I thought they underscored her, I’d have given it at least a 26!

4. Candace and Mark– LOVED THIS ROUTINE! Thought Mark choreographed a wonderful Contemporary routine. He and Derek are great at contemporary routines. The floor work was wonderful…I’m not digging Marks hair. AT all. Candace did a great job and really surprised me!

5. Danica and Val–love how they ignored her ballroom background and I think she purposely danced sloppily so that they can come from out of nowhere in a few weeks and shock everyone.

6. James and Peta–think their Foxtrot was lovely

7. Drew and Cheryl–I loved their Foxtrot as well–wonder how much DWTS had to pay for the Monopoly usage? lol LOVED Cheryl’s Emerald Green gown & I LOVE her hair!!! Drew looked very dapper in his tux!

8. Cody and WItney–he did alright. Needs to refine his moves. The teens love him though.

9. Diana and Henry–I thought they did pretty good and have been begging for Henry as a pro for awhile now. She’s witty and moves pretty good

10. Nene and Tony–I saw more hip-hop than ChaCha. Laughed at how out of breath Tony was at the end of their routine…loll

11. Sean and Karina–see he was so forgettable I forgot all about him so he lands in the 2nd to last spot.

12. Billy Dee and Emma–it was bad but I thought the 5 paddles were a bit harsh. He’s 77 for pete sakes..lets see how well CAI moves when she’s his age??

My personal favorites were Meryl and Maks. Fun, fun, fun, sassy, classy and cheeky – just a perfect cha cha. That, for me, was really amazing… I loved every second of it, I loved her moves, her smiles and facial expressions, her hair, her dress ( probably the best of the night in my eyes) and I loved Maks´s attitude and the way he treated her in that dance. She makes him really good and happy guy. I think they match better then any of us would think ( both on and off the dance floor) and I am actually starting to think that she wouldn´t have this good “sibling/friend” chemistry with Derek… I don´t know why I have this feeling but anyway, moving on.
Charlie and Sharna were breathtaking and he is seriously just like an angel with a little bit of devil. I think he and Sharna are also a very good match and I cannot wait for all of their dances. There were contemporaries done on this show that I liked more, but I still really liked it. But I wished it would lasted longer, that was probably my only problem, but I know that I cannot really blame that on the two of them. Faboulus piece of art.
Amy… just, what can you say. This woman is already a WINNER in life and she have the moves. Derek gave her a fantastic routine and fantastic teaching as well. While I don´t think it was as good as Meryl´s, it was second favorite cha cha of the night and man, she really is an inspiration. I don´t know why, but she sometimes (from the back) reminded me of Karina – I think it was because of the dress (I think Karina wore a similar one?) – but also something in her moves. Anyways… I cannot wait for their next dance, but I hope swing won´t cause her any troubles because of her legs.
Just a hint – I don´t like the fact that they put Meryl and her against each other with swing. I don´t like the whole – let´s make some rivality here and then show it thousands time. Why they feel the need to push the contestans against each other – that is seriously some shit, sorry for he word. I also didn´t like the way they made Peta look in the package… that was just unprofesional move from the producers. I actually didn´t like most of the packages. Charlie´s looked like they cutted it in the half. I really felt bad for Cody and the whole “girlfriend talk” they made Whitney do (I belive). Peta and James – a chapter for itself and I could go on and on. It just felt rushed – and I felt like that a lot during the show, I must say. But never mind.
Denica´s and Val´s foxtrot was my favorite foxtrot of the night – and although I didn´t liked the song (not a good one for foxtrot in my opinion) she looked good and I really enjoy her personality – i hope she sticks for a while.
Candece and Mark did better then I expected, but it still felt a little overscored. I really liked the section on the floor at the beginning but other ways it just was kind of “blank to me”. But I still think it was good, but for me it kind of lost in the mix. (Never the less, I am glad to see Mark´s behavior is really nice and I think that candace is a very good partner for him… overall, all the partnerships really seems to work this season – we all know that last season there were some holes with that, but this season, they all really work good together.)
Cody and Whitney are just young, blond and fresh… not my favorite, but he has moves, she is nice and she seems to be quit a good instructor and they are cute together. I hope they don´t get lost in all the big names and his fanbase has his back.
James and Peta, I feel so sorry for her because of the package. But they moved very well, they have great partnership and he has moves and elegancy. He reminds me of Evan for some reasons and I really liked this routine. I actually feel it was a little bit underscored, but not much.
Diana is just a sweetheart and a hero in my eyes and she danced better then I expected. Her facial expressions were fabulous and she moved quit well on her age. I am glad Henry is a pro and I hope he stays one for the next season.
Drew, I have to say I didn´t cared for him until last night, but he is really better then I expected. He just makes me smile with his dancing and that is amazing.
Nene and Tony were, I think, good couple to start a show. It was fun and sassy and, yeah, it wasn´t the best chacha in the world, but it was still better then I expected. I didn´t like her dress and Tony, what the hell was he wearing, but other ways, it was ok.
Sean and Karina. I have to admit, I am kind of falling for him. That smirk he has, there is something really hot about it and to be honest, I have a thing for bad guys. And Karina is awesome. I really liked that contemporary, yes, sometimes I felt like he ran from one side to another, while Karina spun, but there was something very… I don´t know… special about it. I would like to see three 7, but other ways I was ok with it.
Billy and Emma… I literally scream when i saw her costume. So, I am really, REALLY, big fan of the Star wars. I know the films, word by word. And Billy is amazing. Was it a good dance? No. But he has his years. I hope we got to see him a few times, before he leaves.
Overall, it was really good first night. I enjoyed watching it (or the youtube videos, since that´s the only way I can watch it). While I didn´t exactly loved Brook, Erin definitely didn´t get my heart. Tom is amazing as always an I am SO GLAD that the sky box is back. Hope they do the confessions too.
The judges were the judges and I felt some differences in the music, but not big ones.
I feel kind of wierd about next week´s dances. But I am definitely excited about this season.
P.S. Sorry for my English – it is not my first language and I am still learning.

For being the first show of the season, it was pretty much as expected, entertaining and enjoyable. It was pretty painful to watch BDW, I know he signed up for the show but man did I feel sorry for him.

I wanted to give Erin a chance but if last night is any indication, no thanks!! I just want to see the dances, get good comments from the judges and get the scores, I don’t care who is dating who or what happened 20 years ago. I don’t watch the show for stuff like that.

I really enjoyed the couples & dancing tonight. I voted for my favorite but threw votes to both Drew & Diana.

I love Drew from his shows and am soo happy he did well tonight. His attitude reminds me of Bill last season and I’ll be throwing votes his way as long as his journey lasts.

I saw Diana on Katie before the cast announcement and was impressed with her attitude & joy of life. Loved her quick wit last night when Erin was interviewing her! She’s feisty!! I want her to stick around so I’ll be throwing some votes her way too.

Honestly, I don’t really want anyone to go home yet. Can’t we keep them all for a few more weeks?

Candace’s husband was on a celebrity ice dancing reality show in Canada and, even though it did come up at times, the religious angle of the family was not a constant week in week out, so we could hope it’s the same on DWTS.

1)Meryl and Maks: She adapted so well to blatin that I was not surprised but I LOVE how she has a cool affect on Maks too.
2)Amy and Derek: A true inspiration. She is having a blast too!
3)Charlie and Sharna: I really liked it but something tells me that this is just to the tip of the iceberg for him.
4)Candance and Mark: So I learned three things yesterday: 1)Candance can dance. 2)She is very religious and 3)Mark can really choreograph an awesome contemporary routine. Very Impressive. Her reaction to etting the rumba next week threw me off……makes me think that she didn’t say that dance.
5 Drew and Cheryl: He is full of pure happiness. He lost so much weight and he just is having a blast. I loved the song choice. Loved the choreo. Cheryl is happy and he is happy. What more can I ask for.
6)James and Peta: So that into video…..talk about awkward. But these two can teach a chemistry class. He is a natural mover too!
7)Cody and Witney: He has a personality!! I was shocked. He can dance too! Now for Witney…..I liked the choreo but didn’t love it. Much better than Lindsay or Tyne though.
8)Danica: Another couple that could teach a course on getting along perfectly w your partner. She is kinda a little off/spazzy/too excited right now though lol.
9)Sean and Karina: So awkward in interactions. So, so, so, awkward BUT he did good.
10)NeNe: Yeah so the biggest surprise of the night. She is a mix of Melissa Rycroft in terms of just pure drive to win and a little bit of Amber Reily in terms of just so much fun. Saying that, she has good happy creative Tony 🙂 always a good thing.
11)Diana: So much fun! Henry did great chreo as well. Just not sure how long she will last.
12)Billy Dee: Yeah so this happened lol. All the Star Wars stuff (EWOKS!!!) made my day and Emma…looked amazing. He is older so I wasn’t expecting much but he did good. Just feel like he is going to be the first to go.

Oh and for what it’s worth, Cheryl and Drew had the best costumes in my opinion. Cheryl looked awesome. When Erin was like “Come On Down” and they did their little run, I noticed the Monopoly money and it all made sense. Worst costume had to be Tony and NeNe in my opinion. Not so much Nene (she looked good) but Tony looked like an extra from the “Step Up” movies lol.

Why dont they have seats/benches in the skybox? They expect them to stand for almost two hours. Maybe im lazy, but if that was me I would be sitting on the floor while the other couples were not being interviewed.

Candace was my favorite, she was a suprise, if she can dance just as well in latin and ballroom I see her as a dark horse. Non dancer making a journey, also has a big fan base from full house.

I was really looking forward to Charlie but his dance was a let down, to many lifts. The argetine tango and freestyle are the only other dances they can do lifts in i think so at least we know it wont be a weekly thing. Cant wait to see him in latin dances and he is a real cutie.

I liked meryls chacha but I dont know if im ready to forgive and forget maks for his past.

I loved Drews joy and happiness. I liked james attitude about wanting to learn to dance and not go the showmance route and I liked his dance and foxtrot isnt my favorite. Hopefully Danicas exictment is a one week thing or else i could see her annoying both val and viewers also they didnt bring up her dance background, not suprised. She was ok.

The way cody and whitney were gyrating and she was hitting on him in the package makes me think what if it was zendaya and val or back in season 8 shawn and mark when she was underage. How would ppl. respond. I liked his showmanceship and he’ll be around awhile im sure.

I hope sean goes he dosnt want to be there and someone like diane whos checking a item off her bucketlist can stay a little longer.

Also in the package for amy and derek i wonder if it was a really good acting job on dereks part when she told him about her condition. You’d think it would be something tptb would let him know in advantage about and maybe ask if hes up to the challenge.

Cheryl and Drew did look awesome, the best she’s looked in years. Fantastic green dress.
My boyfriend fell in love with Sharna last night, haha. She did look great!
Tony is always the worst at dressing his celebs. I cringe just thinking about Martina Navratilova’s outfit.
Diana’s dress was really lovely and suited her so well – I think Henry is such a gem that I hope he can put in some time and have a few seasons in him to really shine.
I was thinking last night about how Mark has another celeb that requires modest clothes, like Bristol. Here’s hoping he accommodates that request a bit better and with more flair than hers.

Sharna put together a lift-heavy but beautiful routine. Contemporary can be many different retypes of routines and some being lift-heavy, so that is ok by me. They have great chemistry and working relationship and I am excited to see what Sharna does all season with a partner with this much ability. I really don’t think he’ll have much problem with ballroom or latin except with some of the hip action and possibly the facial expressions needed for the sexy dances. For those who don’t follow ice dance, the short dance of an ice dance competition (and formerly the compulsory dance) which is the first of the two programs they compete in every competition, are almost ALL based on Latin or ballroom dances. The style switches each competitive season. This year and at the Olympics, the short dance was a Quickstep or Foxtrot theme. Charlie and Meryl are already familiar with what each dance is and what the attitude and style need to be. Sorry if that seems unfair, but it is what it is. Their issue is mainly changing the movement from what works on the ice to what works and what is proper technique on hard floor.

Meryl and Maks were great. They were underscored to me, especially when you look at who they tied with. She was spot on a gave a great performance. I think they work well together but not sure they have the best chemistry on the dance floor. I actually thought she sold the performance more than he did! Only thing she could have done more is brought a little more sass to what she did. It was there but could have come up even more. We’ll see if the chemistry on the floor will grow and if Maks choreography can also come up to her talent.

Candace was a surprise. Good, innovative choreography from Mark. Maybe a bit overscored. She does move well and naturally. I can’t wait to see a ballroom and a latin dance to know if she really is a contender or not.

Amy was so great, especially for the little rehearsal time. They will be the only couple to have MORE time preparing for the second week than the first so I am looking forward to seeing what they bring with more practice! It wasn’t flashy but a good cha cha. There were no production elements added either, if anyone noticed that, most likely due to Derek not having time to add in extra elements! It is just really exciting for the viewer to see how far she can go and how they work with her limitations and what Derek comes up creative-wise.

James & Peta and Cody & Witney were both good for different reasons. I think both partnerships have potential and tons of chemistry. I do feel for Peta but she also tends to amp up drama so we’ll see how she handles this partnership. I hope she makes good decisions for James because he has tons of potential. All Cody needs is to clean up the technique. Good performer and I always like to see new pros for some fresh choreography.

Danica was worse than I expected. I think Val wasn’t inspired by the foxtrot as he is a latin guy through and through but….it does no favors to your celeb to give half-hearted choreography. You need to give it your best and make it work despite genre or song. But I expected much more wow factor from her and it wasn’t clean and wasn’t as graceful as I thought. Kind of like many of Elizabeth’s dances last season, not bad but not as good as I expected. We’ll see how it goes from here. Yes she’s hyper but it didn’t bother me too much yet, again, we’ll see. Maybe she can soften and loosen Val up which would be nice.

Everyone else was just eh or ok for me. Drew is fun and nice and did pretty well but I don’t think he is going to grab me this season. Nene is larger than life and funny but also a bit grating, I don’t know if I will still find her funny if she lasts a long time? Just a weird match up with Tony but it is nice to see him laugh a lot and also have a ‘big mover’. I’ve complained for years that he seems to produce small movers and that definitely won’t happen here! Diana has a great spirit and I wanted to see more of Henry this season but I don’t think she’ll have the following or wow factor in dancing to bring in the votes. Sean danced better than I expected but I don’t think his brand of humor will win people over. He’ll have to up the like-ability factor quickly or we’ll lose Karina. Billy Dee was just not good but I didn’t even realize he was 77. Of course it is endearing to see people try something regardless of age, but if you barely can move on the floor, why are you doing a dancing show? Will also be sorry to lose Emma early this season. I hope they give her someone younger next season so we can see a different partnership for her. She (and Tristan for that matter) don’t deserve to be paired ONLY with the ‘older’ crowd.

The end was just weird and contrived. No way would Candace say she was most wanting to do the rumba. Some of the celebs seemed like they did pick their choices and some didn’t so I don’t get it.

I really wonder when they will pull out the switch. Some media outlets have been saying Week 3 but that hasn’t been confirmed right? I think it should be later on. I think DWTS is about your journey with your partner, so not sure I will like this except for the fact it will give some of those with lesser choreographers a chance to work with better ones.

Think either Diana or Billy Dee is going home. Looking forward to next week!

Watching Danica dance puts me on edge. She’s too hyper and that “I’m not cool” she’s always saying isn’t cute. I also don’t like the fact that they do seem to be hiding the fact that she has had tons of dance experience. I wouldn’t be disappointed to see her go early. I’m thinking around the halfway point.

My favorites right now are Charlie, Meryl, Amy and Drew. Don’t care for NeNe at all and she has Tony so that’s another point against her where I’m concerned. Sean is stiff, appears to have no personality or the ability to smile much. If he sticks around awhile he has Karina’s fanbase to thank. Billy gets a lot of kudos for just agreeing to do this. He’s either gone Monday or the week after, but he should be proud for just getting on that dance floor. I have no interest in Diana at all which is a shame because I would like to see what Henry could do. If Billy isn’t the one to leave Monday, I’m guessing it will be her. Candace is a surprise and I hope she continues to do well. But Mark has to do something with that hair. It’s distracting at times. James and Cody are just meh. Not memorable to me at all.

@KellyK, I agree, Danica probably is dancing well below her level and then in a few weeks, oh look, she’s improved so much, what a surprise! Yeah right.

As far as Erin goes, I’d rather have Brooke-bot back. She at least gave us some laughs. Erin just appears to want to be front and center and that isn’t going to sit well for a lot of people. This is Tom’s show. He has the fans and the Emmy to prove it.

Overall:
-I didn’t mind the new band (didn’t really pay attention to much of a difference).
-Erin as a host on this show is like my worst nightmare. I want her to be calm and personable and she seems to only care about asking the questions that nobody wants asked.
-Opening number was the worst. I get that they wanted to add a guest performance, but I always look forward to the first pro dance of the season and this was just a let-down. Contrary to popular belief- I actually enjoy watching the pros dance.

Favorites:
-Amy and Dere: Not too much to say about how much I enjoyed them. Looking forward to seeing their journey.
-Meryl and Maks: I’m Surprisingly really enjoying this partnership. Can’t wait to see what else they do. Who knew I could actually enjoy Maks again (granted, he look great in comparison to his brother and Tony)
-Candace and Mark: This was the big surprise of the night for me. I really enjoyed their dance and love seeing this side of Mark.
-Charlie and Sharna: Like Courtney said, I wish there were less lifts, but still great none the less.
-Drew and Cheryl: I really really love Cheryl lately. Glad she has kept up with her revamp from Jack. I think he could be another dark horse partner for Cheryl

Okay:
-Danica and Val: she was definitely good for 1st week out, but WAY too excited about everything for me.
-Nene and Tony: I was surprised by Nene but wish Tony would have put some more cha cha in there.
-James and Peta: Also didn’t enjoy what producers did to Peta. I hope they can grow though
-Cody and Witney: They were on the bottom of my list coming in but I was a bit surprised here as Witneys choreography wasn’t too bad. Still not loving Cody but I guess thats your typical 17 year old guy. I also didn’t enjoy all the dating questions…was that necessary?

Meh:
-Diana and Henry: I actually really like their partnership, but I just don’t think they’ll last past this week.
-Sean and Karina: There’s just something odd about him that I don’t enjoy. I like that Karina enjoys him though.
-Billy Dee and Emma: I do respect him for getting out there, but I don’t see him lasting very long.

I thought they all did pretty well for the first week. It is so cool to see what Amy can do on those prosthetic legs. In one of their interviews they were already thinking of how to change her legs to make them better for dancing. At one point Derek said something about putting a spring in the ankle section. Even the interviewer laughed and said leave it to Derek to figure out how to make prosthetic legs better. I can only imagine what we will see out of them this season.

Oh and in regard to the Erin thing. I agree she tabloidy…dear Erin you don’t have to make every interview a possible headline…you don’t work for the Enquirer. However, I don’t mean to be ugly, isn’t their weird about her posture? I don’t know something about how she stands seems off.

This is what I love about your posts, Courtney. You see things from practically all angles and you tell it as it is. Then you spice it up with your Courtney-sense of humor: “Hello, Clarice”, LOL!

Couldn’t agree more with your rankings. And I think your take on Erin is spot on. I thought it was just her voice that I could not appreciate, but yeah, she did sound more gossipy and a little too loud for my eardrums. I hope that in next week’s episode, we see more of Tom just like last season.

Love the idea of a rivalry scorecard. Looking forward to your post next week. 🙂

I hope everyone enjoyed last night, I know I did a lot actually! I found myself enjoying everyone for different reasons and I actually like all of the contestants!
Charlie/Sharna- These two were stunning as we expected. My major complaint is that it was very lift heavy, but at least it’s out of the way and we can see what he can do in Latin and ballroom, because I’m VERY excited to see what he can do. Probably my favorite male contestant at the moment by a bit. I would’ve given them a 25.5. I would give more if we could’ve seen more dancing.
Meryl/Maks- I actually loved these two as a couple far more than I expected to. They just “meshed” and worked very well together. Very pleasant. Whether or not there is serious chemistry to create magic is left to be seen, but I can’t wait to see more! She moves so beautifully and she has got fantastic lines. I think she could work on the bending and straightening of her legs a little and one series of turns began to look very tilted, but this was great! Props to Maks as well. I give them a 25.
Amy/Derek- My favorite dance of the night, which is really saying something because I loved most of them. Courtney’s right, she didn’t dance at all like someone with two prosthetic legs, jet lag, and little rehearsal time. Girl has lots of sass and energy, great rhythm, and good hips. I’m very interested to see what she can do when she gets legs more suited for dancing and she gets more practice time. What an incredible woman. And if this doesn’t prove that Derek is a great teacher…well then nothing will. I give them a 24.5.
Candace/Mark- I was sooo hoping she would do well, and I expected her to do at least pretty good, but she actually WOWED me and was my second favorite dance (only a teeny bit behind Amy’s). I just adore her: very hard-working, excited to learn, there to do her best, and just an all-around sweetie. And man she danced REALLY well. Very natural and organic. Mark’s choreography was also great. I can’t wait to see her in ballroom and Latin too. 25.
Cody/Witney- I actually ended up liking these two a lot more than I expected to as well. The girlfriend thing was seriously bugging me, but once the dance started, I thoroughly enjoyed it. He’s got great showmanship, good rhythm, and potential to grow. His technique is a bit sloppy, but I think he’ll improve as time goes on and we’ll see some great stuff from them! 21.5
Drew/Cheryl- Another one of my favorites 🙂 The joy and huge smile this dance gave me is worth so much. He may not be the best dancer, but he’s far from the worst! He actually got the smoothness of the foxtrot well, and I think he did especially well in hold. Ultimate charm, class, and fun! Loved it! Cheryl looked stunning too and I loved her choreography. 22
Danica/Val- I ended up liking them as well. Danica does need to reign in her energy and excitement, but I can appreciate her enthusiasm. I was expecting a bit more finesse due to her previous experience, but perhaps it was just her excitement that got her technique a bit wonky. She was having fun and really giving it her all. I think there were moments were her posture was great and some sections in hold looked lovely. Her excitement caused her to get a bit out of control at times and I think she could work on her arms a bit, but I liked this! 21.5
James/Peta- I gotta say I give lots of props to James. That was some weird foxtrot music and Peta gave him some pretty tricky choreography, but he handled it very well! He’s got great frame and good movement quality. I think his nerves showed a bit as I could see him concentrating really hard to get some of those more tricky sections down, but he stayed on time throughout, maintained an overall nice look, and showed lots of musicality. I think once he relaxes and gets his nerves out, he can be great. Think he deserved a little higher than he got. 22
NeNe/Tony- Surprisingly enough, I REALLY liked NeNe. She was sassy, fun, and doing her absolute best to learn and dance. I actually didn’t find her grating like I thought I would. I thought she did very well in the dance. It had WAY too much hip hop (looking at you Tony…) and I can’t say I liked the choreography, but the cha cha I saw NeNe do was pretty decent and she was selling it the whole time. I think she needs to work on finesse and tightening up her feet, but I enjoyed it. Tony really needs to step it up with his choreography. NeNe’s not a bad partner at all and has potential, he needs to choreograph to show that. 20.5
Sean/Karina- Oddly enough…I like Sean. In a weird way. Yeah, he’s closed in and kinda needs to relax, but I find his dark humor funny and I think he’s giving this a very genuine effort. I also think Karina is just the right partner for him. His contemporary was actually kinda nice. I was interested the whole way through, he did really well with the lifts (although there were too many again…), and showed moments of natural talent. I do think he definitely needs to work on letting go (not just in the dancing, but in general) and smoothening out his movement…but I see potential for growth here. If Karina can get him to just let go and enjoy himself…I think we could see something really endearing. I really hope he sticks around for a while so we can see that. 21
Billy Dee/Emma- No…this wasn’t good…but I give him mad props for going for it regardless. The man is 77 years old and I think Bruno and CAI commented way too harshly. I actually enjoyed this as he was doing his best, he and Emma looked great, and the Star Wars theme was so great. 16
Diana/Henry- I really liked them as well! Diana looked absolutely stunning and I think she had an air of elegance and sophistication in this dance. There were also moments where she showed lovely smoothness and arms. And I am loving seeing Henry as a pro, the choreography was great and he helped her rise above expectations. She definitely needs to work on her balance a bit and needs to be less cautious, but maybe once she’s more used to heels she’ll get better. I see great room for improvement, and I do want to see them stick around over Billy Dee and Emma (I love both Billy & Emma…but I’m just not too interested in seeing more). 19

I am also enjoying Maks so far. I wish he would get over the open shirt/show-the-chest costumes and go for a more classy style that would suit Meryl and also take the big arrow-pointing-to-Maks away and put it on his partner or on them as a team. That would show real class and actually draw really subtle positive attention to Maks and help his non-dancing career by making look less ego oriented

Figamentation, I also thought back to Bristol’s less than elegant “modest” looks with a shudder. However, I think Candace will be easier for Mark to deal with in terms of costuming (and everything else too). She’s a mature woman who has experience in the Hollywood scene. So I bet she does a better job of setting parameters than Bristol did.

nl, Maks at least wears a shirt more often than not (which is more than can be said for Val). However, I’ll happily put up with Maks’s open shirts as long as he treats Meryl well and maintains a decent attitude about the show and the other couples.

I can’t give a ranking, since I needed to pick up my daughter from a practice session, and I haven’t had a chance to get through the whole DVR.

So, I give my thoughts on what I did see in no random order.

Cody and Whitney…. Yes, he did a good cha cha, but I am still questioning this pairing. He is still only 17 years old, and I still think that a pro who is a bit older than Whitney…. He’s admitted that he’s attracted to Whitney, he called her and “what she does” a big distraction. This is only week 1…. And I don’t really think she is going to be able to curb that. And, it’ll get in the way. And I know what she said, but I listened to HOW she said that she and Cody’s gf were friends, and I don’t quite trust that. I guess the jury is out on them, but right now, I’m not going to be upset at an early exit.

Billy Dee and Emma….. She is a fabulous choreographer and teacher, and person, but she is being paired with a 77 year old man with arthritis in his back and 2 hip replacements…. He ISN’T going to be able to move well, and Emma did a great job with what she had to play with. And they respected each other, and both worked hard.

Diana and Henry…. He did a good job to fit Diana into the choreography, and he did good to gain her complete trust. They were a terrific pair, even if the dancing wasn’t the best. That’s the best start. I loved the chemistry that both BDW/Emma, and Diana and Henry had.

Amy and Derek… I don’t think I can add anything that hasn’t been said.

Meryl and Maks… Glad we have good Maks, just waiting to see how long he lasts. But, just maybe he matured during his time off. Hmmmm…

Charlie and Sharna… I liked him more than Meryl, his personality grabbed me more. And, he and Meryl have very different partnerships with Sharna and Maks, and right now, even though it was lift heavy, I think she has better connected with her partner and given better choreography.

Not sure I like Erin as a co-host, she was definitely pushing an agenda that I don’t agree with. I did miss Brooke.

Liked Ray Chew, I think, but maybe I need more time to make a decision.

I thought I would like having the judges desk back where it belonged, but I kept thinking they would be going to the other side…. I actually got used to them being on the other side.

Candace and Mark…. I like good Mark, hope he stays.

Drew and Cheryl…. Same as above. I like good Cheryl, hope she stays.

“Interesting” face that Danica had when Candace got her scores…. She didn’t look happy.

Of all of the rivalries that they tried to push in the past, I think that Danica/Camdace may actually succeed. Just my thought.

Warning, this might be my first deleted post. I’m not sure why everyone is concerned about Candace “being out there” with her religious beliefs. There were no complaints about Helio and his creepiness with J. Hough. There were no complaints about Carson and his “being out there” with his lifestyle.

So why worry about Cameron? It’s her life, she’s a public figure, it’s her story to tell so LET IT BE people, LET IT BE.

@dancewithyou – I don’t think it’s so much her actual beliefs that everyone is concerned about – I think some just don’t want to hear her talk about it every week. It can get a bit tiresome to hear celebs and pros repeat the same thing over and over (i.e. Tony & Leah and the “I’m not a trained dancer!” spiel), and Candace seems like she might throw out the “I’m a Christian wife & mother!” like every time a dance requires that she act “sexy”. I don’t personally have a problem with her lifestyle – nor did I have a problem with Carson’s. Not sure how Helio fits into it…

…I’ll let your comment stay, but just try not to jump to conclusions in the future…and trying to tell people to “let it be” is probably not a good choice, either. Let everyone feel how they want to, without being dismissive.

Another new season, new stars, new pros, and a killer opening number. Season 18 is off to a good start.

1. Charlie & Sharna: Leave it to Charlie to swoop in at the end of the show, and take first place on the first night. As good as the dance was, it was pretty lift-heavy, but I can’t help but be mesmerized by Charlie. I think Sharna could potentially take home her first MBT.

2. Candace & Mark: By far, the biggest surprise of the night. I loved the content and the elements of the dance, especially the side by side on the floor parts. They were so in sync, it proved that Candace is a naturally gifted dancer.

3. Amy & Derek: Another big surprise. Such an inspiring story about getting back up after being knocked down. Even with prosthetic legs, she can dance. I couldn’t even tell that she was jet lagged and running on 4 hours of sleep. She is definitely a contender for the title. Derek really does bring out the best in his partners.

4. Meryl & Maks: This was a very acceptable first dance. Meryl definitely had fun, and she and Maks make a very nice pairing. I can’t wait to see how she does in the coming weeks.

5. Danica & Val: It was fun to watch, they have great chemistry; but for some reason, I find Danica to be a tad annoying. I don’t know what it was, but it was a bit off-putting and a tad over-scored.

6. Cody & Witney: They’re so cute. Cody really has what it takes to win, but the technique does need a lot of work. Hopefully, his 6M+ Twitter followers voted to keep him around because I want to see more of what he is capable of.

7. Drew & Cheryl: Another stand-out favorite. I flat out loved everything about this dance. After that dance, I wanted to play Monopoly. Haha. Definitely this season’s dark horse.

8. NeNe & Tony: I loved that she kicked off season 18 with a bang. She may have held back a little bit in her moves, but she was still fun to watch, so I would count her out just yet.

9. James & Peta: At first, I wasn’t sure how this partnership would work since they already knew each other before the show, and I wasn’t completely impressed. :/ These two will need to work harder if they want to stick around; otherwise, it will be an early exit for them.

10. Diana & Henry: Even though they’re next to last place, they still had fun dancing. I have a bad feeling that Henry is going to be the new Tristan (charming, attractive, gets the older woman as a partner), but hopefully these two stick around to show what they’re made of.

11. Sean & Karina: I wasn’t feeling this couple at all. While dance was fine, it’s his attitude that makes him come off as a bit of an a**hat. It’s really the attitude that ruined the whole performance.

12. Billy Dee & Emma: Definitely the worst of the night. Because he was in Star Wars, I found the whole dance to come off as cliche. I could definitely tell that he had two hip replacements. I feel like Emma did all the work while making one hot Princess Lea. Haha

Charlie was definitely doing a lot of his ice dance lifts but still a great performance. I think Latin will be his trouble spot.

Meryl was underscored. I hope that is not a consistent thing. Right now I can see her rocking every type of dance. I think the swing dance will be very fitting for Meryl/Maks height difference.

Candace was the biggest pleasant surprise. Actually, I don’t recall her mentioning anything about religion. Just that she is a mom and wants to respect her hubby and kids. I do know she is very vocal about religion and modesty on social media though. She was also vocal about her wardrobe for Make It Or Break It. I think Val Bure will have to give permission for her to let loose in the Rumba, similar to Kurt Warner’s wife.

In my opinion, Sean did not even dance. He walked around the dance floor doing lifts. The scores were appropriate but the feedback he got was not. It was almost like a dance Cheryl would have choreographed as it seemed to be all Karina.

Amy was fabulous. I’m scared about the swing dance but I guess it may be a similar muscle movement to snowboarding?

Danica was good not great. I do think she has the fanbase to carry her and I predict she will be one of the most successful celebrities after the season.

The part where I rolled my eyes at Candace was not the religious talk, it was when she said (Paraphrasing), “I’m compassionate, I’m blah I’m blah” – don’t even remember the words she used but they were all GOOD words. I’m wonderful, I’m fantastic…it bugs me when people say that. PROVE it, show me. Most of the time, when people feel compelled to SAY such things, it means they are not at all confident those things are true. It seems…braggy, which is very anti what I consider to be a truly religious person.

It’s kinda like bragging about how you give to charity. True charity is anonymous.

I liked Candace’s package and I thought she was able to convey her feelings re her faith and family quite nicely. Now if like Leah she makes the same statements every week, then it will get old.

As for wanting modest costumes, I thought her costume Monday nite looked great. People sometimes equate modest with matronly or ugly, but I don’t think that has to be necessarily the case. You don’t have to dress in a tissue(looking at u Peta)to be sexy. jm thoughts.

Lol…for a second, I thought you wrote “teabagging”, John. Forgive my dirty mind 😛 Funny you should use that term, though – I just mentioned it in reference to Sharna saying that the NY Post “twisted her words”. We must have literally posted it at the same time.

Derek has admittedly “sand bagged” in the past – not his partner’s talent, but his own choreography. That is, hold back and save stuff for farther along. Normally, I would say there’s nothing wrong with that and it’s a good strategy – but it’s one that can backfire in a season with a lot of good dancing and a Derek that ISN’T sand bagging at all. It’s even risky.

Lead by example, not by words. Words are meaningless. I guess what I mean is, if you feel the need to evangelize, do it by quietly living your faith, don’t do it by loudly and repeatedly trumpeting your own Godliness.
I’m willing to give Candace a pass this first week for talking about her beliefs. I’ll be quickly turned off if she continues to do it.

I’ve never heard the term “sandbagging” with regards to a performer holding back. I don’t think Maks has it in him to even think about holding anything back. I do however think Danica is sandbagging. It makes a lot of since with regards to her performance Monday night.

I wouldn’t call it sandbagging. More pacing, which Derek is smart enough to do quite a bit. Since the points aren’t cumulative through the season, you only need enough not to get eliminated, especially in the early shows. Say, Jennifer Gray isn’t feeling well one week, no need to force an injury when you know you will do well enough to stay on.

When Candace said she was “sweet, compassionate, and sensitive,” she followed it up with “but I’m competitive.” So she used those words to contrast her seriousness and determination for competition, which was a way to tell people not to count her out. It wasn’t to prove how great of a person or how religious she is.

And I doubt those were really her words anyways…the producers always write that kind of stuff for the cast to say.

Finally getting a chance to comment on the show – overall, I thought it was pretty good. Not thrilled with the opening number, but it could have been worse. I agree that the Tom:Erin ratio was off – we need more Tom and less Erin. She certainly didn’t hold back with the “romance and rivalry” questions… I’m thinking that things will improve there, as Erin and Tom develop a rhythm, so I’ll give her a few weeks before deciding if this was a good change or not. As far as the band, it seemed fine – but I missed the theme music! Did HW have the rights to that?

Now for the dances (in Court’s order) –

Charlie & Sharna – I really enjoyed this. I love Charlie, and I’m looking forward to what they bring to the table. It was rather lift-heavy, but it actually felt like a contemporary dance (and few of the “contemporaries” we’ve seen on this show actually feel like dancing to me, vs couples just throwing themselves around, lifting, and rolling around on the floor in some random order for the heck of it)

Meryl and Maks – it was a good dance, fun to watch, but there was nothing that wowed me. I’m afraid that Maks isn’t going to be able to choreograph Meryl to her potential, so I’m bummed that she didn’t go to Henry or Mark (if she couldn’t have Derek).

Amy and Derek – Wow. I’m impressed. I’m loving Amy’s spirit and attitude, and she dances well. It will be nice to see what she can do with more rehearsal time (since she’s the one person who will have *more* time to learn her second dance than her first).

Candace and Mark – I’m impressed here too – both with Candace’s dancing ability, and with Mark’s choreography. I’ve not really been impressed with his previous attempts at contemporary – this actually felt like a coherent dance. I think I might like Mark this season; it’s been awhile since I could really root for Mark’s partnerships.

Cody and Witney – not too bad. He definitely has presence and some dance ability. It will be interesting to see if Witney can really develop that. I was not a fan of how Erin interacted with them, but I thought they handled it fairly well.

Drew and Cheryl – I really enjoyed this dance. I think Drew is the season’s Bill E. – he has some dance ability, is ready to embrace the experience, and just brings joy to his dancing. I’m liking Cheryl again this season, so yay for that. I won’t be sorry if these two stick around for awhile.

Danica and Val – I thought this foxtrot was rather hectic and sloppy, and I don’t think that Danica deserved the same score as Meryl and Amy. The dancing certainly wasn’t at the same level. As others have mentioned, I thought Danica was a bit hyper. The energy she and Val have just feels strange, and whether she was trying to be sloppy to negate the ringer comments or not, I’m not really impressed either with her dancing or how she’s presenting herself in the packages and interviews.

James and Peta – That was a odd package. In general, I like James, and I think he really wants to learn to dance. I don’t really think I like him with Peta, but I think he has potential.

NeNe and Tony – She’s better than I thought she would be; Tony’s choreography was as bad as I expected. There really wasn’t any cha cha there, but nobody called him out on it. I think I possibly could like NeNe if she weren’t with Tony; as it is, well…

Sean and Karina – So Sean has a personality somewhere in there, and he’s not a horrible dancer, but I don’t think they’re going to last long. And as much as I love Karina, I’m not really a fan of her contemporaries.

Billy Dee and Emma – I love Emma, I like Billy Dee, and I think Emma did an amazing job with what she had to work with. Billy Dee probably would have been a good dancer before the hip replacements and the arthritis in his back, and he would probably be fun to dance socially with – but that cha cha was a little painful.

Diana and Henry – I thought this was a decent effort, and I really like Diana. I think Henry is doing a good job with her, and I’m hoping they stick around (but I’m afraid they won’t).

Unfortunately, it seems either Billy Dee or Diana will be going; the couples *I* would like to see leave first would be Danica and Val, or NeNe and Tony, but that’s probably not happening. If both Billy Dee and Diana make it through, then I think Sean is going home.

Not sure I agree with Maks not having it in him to hold back or pace things. What is it that he says sometimes? DWTS is a marathon not a sprint… Of course, who the partner is has an impact on whether that’s an option.

Fun first show-love how much fantastic dancing there was! It was so nice to see great choreography from Mark, and I felt like Maks stepped up his game, as well. Candace and Drew were nice surprises, and Amy astounded and touched me. I felt that Meryl was sorely underscored.

The only reference to Candace’s faith that I remember is when she said faith and family were the two most important things to her. I didn’t personally feel she trumpeted anything, or evangelized. I agree celebs (perhaps prompted by producers) often beat their ‘storyline’ or sound bite to death, but I’m not sure why someone mentioning their faith would be a hot button–she didn’t seem to condemn or dismiss others’ beliefs. It seems brave to me, in an age when much of our nation seems eager to be offended, to share your beliefs. Just my two cents 🙂